Merlin: The Awkward Teen Years
by linka53
Summary: Ok, so this is my first Merlin story.  It's extremely AU, like modern times.  The gang is in high school.  Morgana's a cheerleader, Arthur's a football jock, and Gwen and Merlin are geeks.  Much fun ensues
1. Pilot

**Hey! So I've decided to write a fic about Merlin. It's completely AU. It's set in present day and the characters are who I imagine them to be if they were in high school. Hope you enjoy!**

**Merlin's POV**

My name is Merlin. I'm 16 years old and until now, I've lived in a small town in Connecticut. My mother and I just moved to Albany, New York. After my dad died, she decided we needed a change. I couldn't really complain. I had never fit in at my old school. Besides, my uncle was a teacher here so I would get to spend some time with him.

As we pulled up to the front entrance of Avalon High, I turned to my mom. She smiled at me. "Please try to make some friends," she asked, a look of pleading in her eyes, " and make sure your secret stays that way?" I laughed sheepishly and nodded. Yeah, about my secret… I have magic. Crazy I know, but apparently I get it from my dad. I quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek and hopped out of the car. I took a deep breath and walked into the school.

First stop, the office. I walked in and waited while a girl with dark curls and a kind smile got a slip from the lady at the front desk. "Hi," I said quietly, "I'm Merlin, I'm new?" She smiled brightly and nodded, "Of course! I have your schedule right here. Oh, and here's a map to help you find your way around. Have a great first day!" I smiled and left only to run into a very pretty girl wearing a cheerleading uniform. "Oh, sorry." I apologized, "Didn't see you." She glared at me and stalked off. "Nice to meet you too," I muttered as she walked away. I continued walked and saw a tall, blond guy wearing a letter jacket over his uniform harassing a kid. As I watched, he pushed him down making him drop all his books. I couldn't stand bullies. "Hey," I shouted, "You know, that's not really fair." He turned to me and smirked, " Oh, really? Is anyone gonna stop me? You maybe?" I gulped but refused to move. Suddenly, without meaning to, I replied, "Yeah. After all, bullies are really just insecure prats." He glared and started towards me. Before he could move more than a couple of steps however, I used my gifts and tied his shoes together. He fell flat on his face and the whole hallway, except for a few guys in jackets, started laughing. They stopped immediately with one look from the guy. "You'll pay fro that." He said to me as he walked away. I simply shook my head and looked back down at me schedule. First period, biology. I smiled in relief. I loved science, plus the teacher was my Uncle Gaius.

I followed the map and walked into class. Since I was kind of early, there was only one person in the class. It was the dark- haired girl from earlier. I walked to the desk. "Hi, Uncle Gaius!" I said cheerfully. He looked up at me and gave me a bright smile. "Colin!" he said walking around to hug me, " I'm so glad you moved here! I smiled and, since the room was beginning to fill up, I asked, "So which seat is mine?" He nodded toward the girl I had noticed earlier. "You can partner with Gwen. She's one of my best and nicest students." I nodded and sat down next to her. "Hi," I said, a bit shyly, "I'm Merlin. I'm new and, I guess your new lab partner." I'm not too comfortable around new people. She smiled at me, "I'm Gwen Angel. I saw what you did earlier by the way. Stopping Arthur from harassing that kid? I thought it was really sweet." Gaius was right. She was extremely nice. I shrugged, slightly embarrassed. Through the course of the class, we continued to talk and became friends.

I had my next two classes with her as well. Second period was English and third was History. She was amazing at History. Then, we had lunch. "Do you want to sit with me?" she asked, seemingly nervous. I nodded, "Of course! Besides, it's not like I'm friends with anyone else." She smiled widely and led me to sit down at a table. Almost as soon as we sat down, the girl I had accidently walked into walked over to us. She had a mean look on her face and I could tell this wasn't going to be good. "Hi Gwen," she said in a false sugary sweet voice. "Oh, hi Morgan," Gwen replied without looking up from her sandwich. "So Gwen, I was wondering…who are you going to homecoming with?" Morgan continued smirking. Gwen started turning red so I came to the rescue. "Me," I said, standing up. Gwen turned to me in surprise, as did Morgan. She looked at me and glared. Apparently, she recognized me. "Never caught your name earlier?" she asked. "It's Colin. Colin Morgan. And you are…?" She glared again and replied, "Morgan Leaf. Head cheerleader. You don't want to mess with me." I looked at her coolly and replied, " I think I'll take my chances." By now, half of the cafeteria was watching our exchange. She sneered and walked away with her head held high.

I sat back down and blew out a long breath. Well, that was nerve-wracking. I felt someone's eyes on me and turned to see Gwen staring at me with her mouth open. "What?" I asked nervously. "Ummm…you just stood up to Morgan." I nodded, "Your point?" She shook her head slowly, "No one stands up to Morgan, Merlin. Everyone, even the boys, is scared of her. She can make your life a living hell. Trust me, I speak from experience." A dark look crossed her face. "I don't care," I replied, " I can't stand bullies and the only way to beat them is to stand up to them." She shrugged but let it drop. After a few minutes, she asked, "Did you really mean what you said about going to homecoming with me?" I nodded, " If you want to. As friends of course." She smiled and nodded, "I'd like that." I smiled back and we continued eating our lunches while she told me about the school.

As we finished, Gwen asked, "So, what do you have next?" I glanced down at my schedule and answered, "Umm…Precalculus, then Human Anatomy, and last, Gym. Gwen stared at me for a moment, "You're taking two science classes?" I shrugged and nodded, "I like science. I always have." She shook her head slowly and we began walking. "Ok," she finally said, "I've got an advanced math class so I'll see you after school?" I nodded and watched as she walked away before heading into my math class. It was easy. We were covering stuff that we'd already gone over in my old school. I pretty much zoned out the entire time. Human Anatomy was a different story. It wasn't offered where I used to live, probably because of the small population. I loved it. We were still covering pretty basic things but, like I told Gwen, I love science. After class was over, I reluctantly headed to the gym. I had always hated sports. For some reason, I was just not athletic. At all. In fact, if I tried to do sports I usually ended up hurting either myself or others.

After I changed into my gym clothes, a red t-shirt with black shorts, I walked into the gym as the coach announced that we would be playing dodge ball. He followed by yelling, "Pendragon, Wagner! Pick your teams!" Arthur walked up to the front along with another guy with brown hair that I hadn't met. Wagner, apparently, was popular but still nice to the rest of the kids. Arthur picked a couple of his football buddies along with some other kids who looked like they hung with the popular crowd. Wagner picked pretty athletic kids. I have a feeling he knew which ones were good at dodge ball. I, of course, was picked last. Ordinarily, I would have been slightly annoyed, but considering it was my first day and no one knew who I was it wasn't that surprising. I was on Wagner's team. As I walked past Arthur, he whispered menacingly, "Time to meet your maker." I rolled my eyes and walked to the side where the rest of my team was gathered. Our team was good, but unfortunately Arthur's was better. Within the first few minutes, 3 of our 7 players had been hit. Just as Arthur aimed a ball at my head, I used my magic and made him trip. Will hit him as he started to get up. Soon, it was just Will and I against one of Arthur's football buddies. I threw a ball at him, which he easily caught. He tagged Arthur in. Just as Arthur ran onto the court, Will and his buddy hit each other at the same time. Great, I thought, now he really gets to destroy me. For the first five minutes, it looked like a stalemate. Arthur dodged my throws and I used my magic to avoid being hit. Just as I thought coach was going to end the game (it was getting pretty close to the end of the period), Arthur hit with a ball right in the gut. I felt the wind get knocked out of me and landed flat on my back in the middle of the court. Arthur cheered and Will came to help me up. Looks like I made another friend. As I walked back to the locker room, I felt a piercing pain in my head and doubled over. A voice said, Protect Arthur. It is your destiny. After a few seconds the pain went away and I stood up. Yeah right, I thought. There is no way I am protecting that clotpole.

After I changed back into my uniform, I found Gwen waiting for me in the hall. "Hey," I said smiling. She replied, "Hey. So anything interesting happen?" I shook my head and grimaced. I had very briefly contemplated telling her about the weird voice I had heard while I was in the locker room but decided not to. "Other than almost getting knocked out by Pendragon in dodge ball, life's been pretty normal." She flushed a little when I said Pendragon, but I let it go. If she got embarrassed when I said his name, I could only imagine what would happen if I questioned her about it. We stopped by my locker to get my things (Gwen already had hers) and continued towards the parking lot. Since my mom had to work, Gwen was going to give me a ride home.

As we approached the lot, I took notice of all the cars. The cheerleader girl, Morgan, was standing next to a bright red convertible with a couple other cheerleaders. I scoffed as we walked past. The license plate read 'GUD 2 B BAD'. Really? We continued walking towards Gwen light blue VW and passed Arthur Pendragon walking towards a black hummer. His license plate read 'XCALIBUR'. Ok…whatever that meant. Just as we stopped by Gwen's car, I got this weird feeling like something bad was about to happen. I looked up and noticed a nondescript grey Honda speeding towards Arthur who was in the middle of the street. It looked like the owner had lost control. Without even thinking, I used my magic to increase my speed. I ran to Arthur and knocked him out of the way. Arthur looked like he was about to pummel me for knocking him to the ground but took a look at the car, which had finally managed to slow down, and seemed to think better of it. He got into his car and drove off without a word. _Your welcome_, I thought sarcastically. Seriously. I just saved his life and I don't even get a thank you or an acknowledgement? Whatever. After Gwen managed to stop staring at me with an open mouth, we got into her beat – up car and drove home.

**Arthur's POV**

As I pulled into the driveway in front of our ridiculously large house, I noticed my father's car. That was strange. Usually he wasn't home until at least six. I walked into the house and called, "Dad?" He replied from inside his study, "In here, Arthur." I walked in and he explained that he had taken the afternoon off. I nodded. As I was about to leave, he said, "Hold on a minute. How was your day?" I shrugged, "The usual. Class was boring, geeks were annoying. Although, one of them did push me out of the way of a speeding car, knocking me down in the process." My dad blinked, "A kid you don't even know saved your life? Well, I say that deserves some sort of reward. Do you know anything about him?" I shrugged again, "He's some sort of science genius. I think his name's Merlin." My dad looked back at me shrewdly, "Science genius, huh? You do need a chemistry tutor…" My jaw dropped and I groaned, "No way! There is no way that I am spending any more time than I have to with that geek!" My dad just gave me a look that said that he wouldn't change his mind. I groaned again, dropped into a chair, and said, "Can you do something for me at least?" I continued at his slight nod, "Get rid of the stupid uniforms. We all look the same. I want to set myself apart from the other losers." He considered it and finally said, "I'll bring it up at the next parents' board meeting." He then waved his hand at me as if saying I was dismissed. I quickly left before he could change his mind. About an hour later, he came to my room and said, "Your first tutoring session with Merlin is on Thursday." He left before I could say anything in response. I started to dread the rest of the week.


	2. Valiant

**Sorry it took so long. Finals are killer. Anyway, school is now over so I should be able to update more often. That is, if my muses (reviews) don't desert me. And I've decided how I'm going to do these. It won't follow the plot of the show for the most part. Important events will happen, but I don't exactly want to wait for the second season for the whole Arthur/Gwen thing to start, so yeah. Enjoy!**

It was now a few days after Merlin had moved to New York. As he walked into school, he was absorbed with his "luck" in finding a job so quickly. He walked into his Chemistry class and absentmindedly sat down in his seat, still lost in thought. "Merlin!" A sudden shout jolted him out of his mind. Turning to his left, he saw Gwen staring at him with a look of concern upon her face. "Huh? Oh, hi Gwen," he said. Gwen shook her head and sighed, "Are you ok? I called your name a few times before you reacted." Merlin nodded and replied, "Sorry. Kinda zoned out there for a few minutes." Gwen nodded in understanding, "That's ok. I was just wondering, do you want to come over after school to study for that Trig test we have tomorrow?" Merlin was about to say yes when he remembered, "I would, but I can't today." Gwen looked confused, "Why not?" Just as he was about to reply, Gaius entered and called the class to order. Merlin quickly whispered, "Tell you later" and turned his attention to Gaius's lecture.

On the way to English, Gwen again asked Merlin why he couldn't come over. "Oh," he replied, "You remember what happened after school on Monday?" Gwen nodded and promptly replied, "Yeah, you rescued Arthur from a speeding car." A faint blush rose in her cheeks. "Well, his Dad called and said that I deserved some sort of reward. For a hundred dollars a session, I am now Arthur's chemistry tutor," Merlin said in a disgusted tone of voice. "A hundred dollars?" Gwen asked, "Wow, I'd do it for free." The continued walking in silence before Merlin realized something. Just before they entered class, Merlin said, "Hold on. For free? Why?" Gwen blushed and looked away guiltily, "No reason…" Merlin groaned, "Oh no. You like him, don't you?" Gwen shook her head, blushing an even deeper red, "No I don't." She then walked into class without giving Merlin a chance to respond. "As Merlin reached his seat, he whispered, "Liar," right before the teacher started the lecture. Gwen sat opposite the room from Merlin in History so he didn't get another chance to ask about her Arthur crush until lunch.

Once the two had sat down with their food, Merlin decided to get right to the point. "So?" he prompted. "So what?" Gwen responded, while taking a drink from her water bottle. "How long have you had a thing for Arthur?" Merlin pushed. Gwen choked and said, "What? I don't…it's not…you're crazy…" "Ok then," Merlin replied, ""So, you wouldn't have a problem if say, Morgan, asked him to homecoming?" Gwen slammed her hand on the table, causing several people to glance their way and in a furious whisper replied, "She did what?" Merlin laughed, "Kidding. But you can't deny that you like him, especially with a response like that." Gwen narrowed her eyes and replied, "Shut up Merlin." Merlin laughed again and replied, "Fine, but you know that I know now." Gwen groaned and started to determinedly eat her tater tots while ignoring him.

The rest of the day passed by normally, unless you count anatomy. Apparently, the advanced human anatomy class had just dissected frogs and didn't do the best job cleaning up. Once school ended, Gwen met Merlin outside the locker rooms again. "So, do you need a ride to Arthur's house?" Gwen asked, looking slightly hopeful. "No, thanks. No offense, but I don't think that would be the best idea," Merlin said with a meaningful look, "Besides, my Mom can pick me up today." Gwen nodded, slightly put out. "Ok, see you tomorrow then." She said before heading to the student parking lot. Merlin waved and went to the carpool lane where his mom was waiting. As she dropped him off at Arthur's gigantic house, she said, "When do I need to pick you up?" Merlin shrugged and replied, "I should probably be done by six. I don't think I could stand much more than two hours dealing with this jerk." His mom gave him a reproving look and said, "Be nice," before letting him out of the car and driving off. Merlin sighed and trudged toward the front door.

He knocked and a few moments later, it was opened by a tall, balding man who he assumed was Arthur's father. "Merlin I assume?" the man said with what was supposed to be an encouraging smile. Merlin took his outstretched hand with a grimace and replied, "That's me. It's nice to meet you Mr. Pendragon." Arthur's father nodded and beckoned for Merlin to come inside. "Arthur's up in his room, " he said, "Follow me." Merlin followed the man up the spiral staircase that took up the center of the house and into a large room that belonged to Arthur. Arthur was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling with a pained expression on his face. "Arthur," Uther said, "Merlin's here. I'll leave you two alone so you can get started." With that, he left leaving Merlin looking terrified and Arthur pouting.

Arthur glared and said, "Just so you know, this doesn't make us friends. We will never be friends and as soon as I can, I am going to convince my dad that I don't need a tutor. Got it?" Merlin nodded slowly and replied, "Fine by me. You're not exactly my favorite person either." Arthur gave him a death stare and replied, "Can we just get this over with?" Merlin forced a pained smile and said, "Sure. So, this week we are learning about covalent and hydrogen bonds…" Merlin spent the next two hours trying to get Arthur to pay attention and stop texting people on his phone. He wasn't sure they accomplished much before his mom came to pick him up. Merlin got into the car and sighed. "So," his mom prompted, "How'd it go?" Merlin gave her a look of complete and utter exhaustion and she laughed sympathetically, "So, not so good I take it." When they got home, Merlin went straight up to his room and did his homework until dinner was ready. After dinner, exhausted by the day he'd had, he studied for his Trig test and went straight to bed.

As Merlin entered Chemistry the next morning he let out a groan. When he sat down, Gwen immediately asked, "So? How'd it go last night?" Merlin groaned again and banged his head on the table – lightly, he didn't want to add to the headache he already had. Gwen laughed lightly and said, "That bad, huh?" Merlin continued to rest his head on the table and didn't respond. The day continued as normal until lunch. Just after Gwen and Merlin sat down, the lights in the cafeteria dimmed. Gwen groaned while Merlin exclaimed, "What the…?" Gwen groaned again and replied, "You'll see. They do this every year." Merlin was about to ask what was going on when Morgan cart wheeled through the door followed by the other cheerleaders. Halfway through their routine, a hidden announcer shouted, "Hello students! Is everyone enjoying their lunch?" His announcement was followed by cheers. He continued, "Well, we're here to make it even better. Give a very warm welcome to our Knights!" At the end of his proclamation, the football team burst into the room. Arthur was leading them. The announcer finished by announcing their names and saying, "And I know, that with Arthur Pendragon leading our team we will have and undefeated season!" More cheering followed his statement and Merlin clapped his hands over his ears so that he wouldn't lose his hearing. When the presentation was over and lunch had gone back to normal, Merlin turned to Gwen, "What on earth was that about?" Gwen shook her head and replied, "First game of the season. It's really annoying, but you get used to it." Merlin groaned and shook his head, "I seriously doubt that." With that, he finished his burger and started on his fries.

After school, Merlin and Gwen decided to hang out in the park rather than go to the tailgating party that was taking over the main parking lot at the high school. Gwen had gone to it her freshman year, but after people started bringing in alcohol, she avoided it like the plague. Around 6:30, the two headed back to school. Despite not being too interested in sports, Merlin wanted to see the game. Gwen was happy as long as she got to see Arthur.

The two were able to get close seats since almost everyone else was still packing up from the tailgating. Once again, before the game, the lights of the stadium dimmed while an announcer got the crowd pumped up for the game. Merlin turned to Gwen and asked, "So, who is this game against again?" Gwen replied with her eyes glued to the field, "It's against the Snakes. They're our biggest rival. Only game they lost last season was against us." Merlin nodded, slightly cheered by the fact that there was a chance that Arthur would get pummeled. The game started with the Knights winning the coin toss and choosing offense. Everything seemed normal for a while. Towards halftime, Merlin noticed that the Knights biggest opposition seemed to be the Snakes linebacker. Every time he hit someone, they stayed down for at least five minutes. It was kind of weird given that he wasn't abnormally big, at least not for a football player. The guy kind of towered over Merlin. Halftime was called with the Knights leading by 4 points. Merlin watched the Snakes bench, curious as to why the linebacker was able to take down so many people. As he watched, he noticed the linebacker take a small rectangular device out of his land and look at it for a second before grabbing some batteries from his sports bag. Merlin nudged Gwen who was watching Arthur. She looked at him annoyed and he explained quickly, "I think the Snakes are cheating." When she raised an eyebrow at him, he elaborated, "The linebacker – he has something in his hand. It's definitely electrical. Maybe a tazer?" Gwen looked skeptic but glanced over to the opponent's bench. After watching the linebacker for a moment, her eyes widened, "That's definitely a tazer. My dad keeps one in the shop in case people try to steal cars. What do we do?" Merlin thought for a minute before saying, "Well, we can't really go to the referee. For one thing, we're just two kids. He won't trust us. For another, the guy could probably hide his little "friend" before the ref sees it. We need proof." Gwen nodded and asked, "And how do we get that?" Merlin smiled secretively and said, "Leave it to me" before jumping out of his seat and taking off around the edge of the field. A few minutes later, after the game had started again, the linebacker took off after Arthur. He was getting closer and Gwen knew there was no way Arthur could defend himself against a tazer. "Hurry Merlin…" Gwen murmured under her breath. Almost as soon as she finished speaking, sparks suddenly shot out of the linebacker's hand, burning him. He yelped and dropped the tazer and stood there rubbing his burnt hand. The referee, who had by this time noticed something strange happening on the field, called for a time out. He ran over to the linebacker and immediately noticed the tazer. He disqualified the linebacker on grounds of cheating and play resumed. Merlin calmly walked back to his seat and acted as if nothing had happened. Gwen stared at him and said, "Ok. What did you just do?" Merlin shrugged and said, looking a bit guilty, "Nothing. I guess the tazer malfunctioned." Apparently, the subject was closed. He turned back to the game and pretended to be completely absorbed by it. Gwen shook her head; she knew he wasn't telling her something. She also knew he would tell her when he was ready. Apparently satisfied to leave the subject alone, she turned back to the game.

With the linebacker out of the game, the Knights won easily. As the team lifted Arthur onto their shoulders, Gwen started clapping with shining eyes while Merlin groaned. "He gets the girls and the glory. I saved his life, _again_, and I get nothing." he thought. As he and Gwen walked out of the stadium, they were intercepted by Arthur. "Excuse us," he said to Gwen as he grabbed Merlin's shoulder and marched him over to an empty area. Gwen simply nodded and turned as red as a tomato. Merlin moaned and said, "What do you want?" Arthur glared at him and said, "Well unfortunately, my father still thinks I need a tutor. Next session's on Tuesday at 4:30. Don't be late." With that, he walked away. Merlin shook his head and walked back to Gwen. "What was that all about?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Merlin shrugged, "The usual. Verbal bashing and a reminder about tutoring him in Chem." Gwen nodded and they walked to her car so she could give him a ride home.

**Thoughts? Like I said, reviews keep me writing. Please press the little button!**


	3. Hiatus

Hey everyone. As you may have guessed by now, all of my stories are on hiatus. I got an internship this summer so I'm at work every weekday from 9 to 5, sometimes for longer. As a result, I don't have much free time and hardly any time to write. If I get a chance I will try to update but there might not be any more updates until August. Please keep checking or put an alert on my stories just in case I manage to update. Thanks for understanding.


	4. The Mark of Nimueh

**So sorry it took so long. Real life and writer's block are not a good combo. Good news, is this chapter is extra long. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I am currently in a dorm room. Obviously, I don't own Merlin.**

Merlin walked into school on Monday morning well before anyone else. He had a chemistry paper due in two weeks that he wanted to get ahead on. As he walked into Gaius's classroom, he noticed that his uncle was acting strangely. He was pacing and muttering under his breath. Merlin sat his stuff down and asked, " Umm…Gaius, are you OK?" Gaius looked up distractedly and nodded before continuing to mutter. "No, seriously," Merlin continued, "What's wrong?"

Gaius sighed and replied, "You know how I volunteer at the county hospital on the weekends?" At Merlin's nod he continued, "A lot of people that live in the Lower East Side are getting sick and no one knows what's causing it or how to cure it. It almost looks like magic is involved."

Merlin looked skeptically at his uncle and replied, "Really? How many people still have magic at this point in time?"

Gaius responded, "Magic doesn't die out. It passes from father to son, mother to daughter, and so forth and so on. It is a never ending cycle, just like the seasons change continually." Merlin just looked even more confused, tilted its head, and raised his eyebrows. "So…it's like a mutant gene…?" Gaius looked at his nephew and rolled his eyes before replying flatly, "Essentially, yes. It's genetic." Before they could say any more, the bell rang and the class started to fill with students. Merlin became distracted by Gwen and forgot about the mysterious fatal illness for the rest of the day.

As Merlin and Gwen were walking to her car after school, Merlin elbows his best friend and asks, "So…what's up with you and Prince Charming?" Gwen gives him a strange look before realizing what he is talking about and turning red. She then nudges him, almost knocking him down, and whispers furiously, "Shut up, Merlin!" Merlin just laughs in response and continues walking towards the car. Needless to say, the car ride home was filled with an awkward silence. As Merlin got out of the car he said, in a singsong voice, "Bye Mrs. Pendragon." The last thing he saw of Gwen before she drove away was her looking at him with a red face and a murderous look in her eye. Merlin continued up to the house laughing.

When Gwen got home, she was still slightly mad at Merlin. She knew he didn't mean anything by it, but it was mortifying that he kept teasing her about her crush on Arthur. After all, he was Mr. Popular, complete with being the captain of the football team. She was… well, she was just Gwen. Shy, sweet, and pretty much the opposite of Arthur. It wasn't like anything could happen between them. Determined to put him out of her mind, she got out her homework. About 2 hours later, around 6:45, Gwen began to get worried. Her father should have been home from the garage by now. Just as she began to panic, the phone rang. She practically lunged for it and answered, "Hello? Dad?"

"Hi, sweetheart," her father replied. Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. "Listen, I'm gonna be home late tonight. Someone got a flat tire down in the Lower East Side so I'm probably just going to grab a bite at the diner down here," he continued, "Don't keep dinner waiting for me."

"Mmm…okay," Gwen replied, "stay safe." Her father agreed and hung up. Since she was going to be eating by herself Gwen decided to just make herself a sandwich and some soup. After she finished, she studied a little bit for her Chemistry test and went to bed.

Gwen wakes up to her 'lovely' alarm clock and wonders, "_Did Dad come home last night?" _ She does her morning routine and goes to her Dad's room and finds him still in bed. Gwen rolls her eyes and tries to wake him up, but when she rolls him over she finds his face is pale and his veins seem to have turned blue.** * **Gwen screams before grabbing the phone and dialing 9-1-1.

Merlin walks into school fully intending to ask Gwen for a ride to Arthur's after school. His mom had to work and he knew she wouldn't pass up a chance to catch a glimpse of Arthur in his natural habitat. However, when she didn't show up for Chemistry or any of his other classes, he became worried. He decided to call her as soon as school let out. With that problem resolved for the moment, Merlin anxiously waited for his last class to end.

As soon as gym was over, Merlin raced to the locker room, changed, and raced out to the parking lot. He grabbed his phone and hit speed dial 4, Gwen's number. When she answered, he immediately knew something was wrong. "Hello?" Gwen answered in a hoarse voice.

Merlin responded, "Gwen? Are you ok?" Gwen tearfully explained about the situation with her father and Merlin had a feeling it was the same disease that Gaius had told him about – the one that appeared fatal since no one knew how to cure it. "Well, I hope he gets better Gwen. I need to find a ride to Arthur's for tonight's tutoring session." Merlin groaned and despite herself, Gwen let out a watery chuckle. He then hung up and looked around the parking lot. Spotting a gray jeep in the next row, he shouted out to the owner, Will. Will turned around and smiled when he saw Merlin jogging toward him. "Hey," he called out cheerfully, "You need a ride?"

Merlin laughed and said, "Read my mind. I'm supposed to tutor Arthur today but don't tell anyone 'cause he'll pummel me if he finds out I told anyone." Will laughed and nodded as he motioned for Merlin to get into the car. They made small talk on the way to Arthur's house until Will asked, "So, not that I mind, but why didn't Gwen give you a ride? Isn't she your best friend?"

Merlin nodded, subdued, and replied, "Her dad's really sick. She's at the hospital with him."

Will nodded sadly and replied, "Well, I hope he gets better. She doesn't really have anyone else." Merlin nodded again and was lost in thought for the rest of the drive.

When they got to Arthur's house he got out, saying, "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow." Will nodded and drove off. Merlin made his way up the driveway and knocked on the door. After greeting Arthur's father he went up the spiral staircase again and found Arthur in his room dancing around to "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO and singing into what appeared to be a hairbrush. When the refrain got to the part where it said, "I'm sexy and I know it", Arthur turned around and pointed. His voice trailed off in the middle of the line because he found himself pointing straight at Merlin. This caused the laughter that Merlin was suppressing to explode out of him. Merlin would have started teasing him but with Arthur's glare added to Gwen's situation, he wasn't really in the mood.

After about five minutes, Arthur got bored of glaring and sat down at the desk where Merlin was staring at his chemistry book with a vacant expression. Arthur sighed and asked, "Okay, what gives?"

Merlin looked up startled and asked, "What?"

Arthur sighed again and replied, "Normally you'd be talking my ear off about acids and bases. Instead you look like someone stole your favorite calculator or something. Merlin sighs and explains about Gwen's father being in the hospital with a mysterious illness. Arthur nods and says, "Gwen…?"

Merlin face palms and says, "The girl I was at the football game with when you reminded me about this tutoring session. Her mom died when she was little so her dad is pretty much all she has." Arthur nodded, contemplating this new information. Normally, he wouldn't really care about a girl he barely knew, but he knew what it was like to grow up without a mother. His own mom had died giving birth to him. Arthur couldn't imagine how he would feel if his dad was dying from a mysterious illness. Making up his mind, Arthur turned back to Merlin.

"Go to the hospital," he said, "Gwen needs you more than I do right now. Just come back tomorrow." When Merlin looked surprised he added, "Look, I don't really care about school but if I fail that test we have this week I'll be kicked off the football team. Go help Gwen and I'll see you tomorrow." Merlin smiled gratefully and got up to leave. As he neared the door he heard Arthur say softly, "Tell Gwen I'm sorry about her dad."

When Merlin got to the hospital he was still slightly confused about Arthur. The guy looked completely self – centered, but he was actually nice and seemed to care about Gwen that afternoon. As soon as he entered the waiting room he saw Gwen sitting in a chair looking like she was in shock. She noticed, however, when he sat down next to her. "Thanks for coming, " she whispered.

Merlin nodded and replied, "Any news?" When Gwen simply shook he head in response, he continued, "Well, I think I know something that will cheer you up?" Arthur asked about you today – kinda." When Gwen's head shot up to look at him he said teasingly, "I knew that would get your attention." Gwen rolled her eyes and motioned for him to continue. Merlin explained what had happened when he got to Arthur's and finished by saying. "He told me to tell you he was sorry about your dad." Gwen stared at him looking like she was torn between crying or being happy that Arthur had actually said something about her. Noticing that Gwen seemed to be struggling with her emotions, Merlin excused himself so that he could call his mom.

"Hey, Mom." Merlin said. "Would you mind dropping off a change of clothes for me at the hospital?"

"Um…can I ask why?" his mom replied.

"Yeah, Gwen's dad has that weird illness that Gaius was talking about. She's kind of terrified and I feel like I should be there for her. So I was planning on staying overnight here with her if that's ok…" Merlin ended his statement so that it sounded like a question.

"Oh, of course you can stay with her. Poor girl. I'll be by in about 15 minutes with a few of your things." Merlin's mom said.

"Thanks mom." Merlin said gratefully, "I'll be waiting outside." With that said, he headed back to Gwen to tell her where he was going and that he would be back in a few minutes.

A few hours later, Gwen had fallen asleep in a chair right outside her dad's hospital room. After making sure that no one was around, Merlin snuck in. He thought for a few minutes before he remembered a healing spell he had read in his magic book the day before. Creeping to the bed, he whispered it and passed a hand over Gwen's father. Then he quickly left the room. A few minutes later, a loud beeping came from the room and nurses and a doctor came running while yelling to each other. The noise woke Gwen up and she jumped out of her chair exclaiming, "Dad!" She and Merlin rushed into the room. When they got there the nurses and the doctor were standing there dumbfounded. No one who contracted the illness had ever woken up. Gwen couldn't care less about that, she simply fell at her dad's side and started sobbing tears of joy. Merlin just smiled secretively and remained by the door.

Gwen returned to school the next day feeling much better now that her dad was healthy again. No one could explain it; it was like a miracle had occurred. At lunch, Merlin remembered that he had to go to Arthur's house again after school. He turned to Gwen and asked, "So, any chance you want to go see Arthur in his natural habitat?" Gwen just gave him a funny look and said, "What on earth are you talking about?"

Merlin laughed and explained, "I need a ride to Arthur's house after school. Since I skipped out on tutoring yesterday to go see you at the hospital, I'm going back today to make up for it. You up for it?" Gwen nodded excitedly and talk turned to Homecoming Week. When Merlin asked if they did anything special, Gwen replied, "Not really…but we don't have to wear uniforms. Technically, we're supposed to wear school colors, you know school spirit and all, but no one does." Merlin nodded as the bell rang and they went to their classes.

After school, Merlin met Gwen by her car and they drove to Arthur's house. When they got there, Gwen's jaw hit the floor. Merlin smiled and said, " I know, right? This place is huge." Gwen simply nodded so Merlin got out and said, "Thanks for the ride. My mom's going to pick me up so I'll see you tomorrow." With that said, he walked into the house and met Arthur in his room.

Surprisingly, Arthur wasn't acting like as much of a dick. Before they started, he asked, "So, how's that girl's dad? Gwen right?" Merlin looked at him shocked and replied, "Yeah, her name is Gwen. And her dad's fine now. I'm kind of surprised that you remember…"

Arthur shrugged and replied, "Yeah, well, I know what it's like to grow up with only one parent. I may not agree with my dad on everything, but I would hate it if he died. I'm not heartless you know." Merlin nodded and sat down after taking out his chemistry book. Steeling himself for the normally arduous task of tutoring Arthur, Merlin was surprised that Arthur actually paid attention and seemed to start understanding what they were doing. When their two hours were up, Merlin said, "Ok, so it looks like we did pretty well today. I'll come back tomorrow and we'll do a review for the test on Friday. Cool?" Arthur nodded and was about to say something when Merlin's phone rang. "Sorry," Merlin said, "Mind if I get this?" Arthur shook his head and wandered over to his computer. "Gwen?" Merlin said into his phone, "What? What do you mean you're in jail?!" Arthur's head shot up at that comment. "But that's crazy!" Merlin continued, "Yeah, on my way. Be there in fifteen minutes."

"What's going on?" Arthur asked. Merlin shook his head in disbelief and replied, "Gwen's in jail. Since her father is the only one that got better after getting sick, they think she somehow is responsible for causing it. I didn't really get that many details… I'm gonna go see her. See you tomorrow afternoon?" Without waiting for an answer, Merlin raced down the stairs and told his mom to take him to the police station and explained about Gwen.

Merlin arrived at the police station a half hour before visiting hours ended. When he saw Gwen, he immediately gave her a hug before asking what happened. Gwen sighed and started telling him what had happened when she got home. "Police were waiting at the front door. Apparently, my dad somehow recovering is suspicious so they got a search warrant for our house. The found a necklace in my room with a weird symbol on it. They asked me where I got it and I said that I had found it under my dad's pillow the day he was released from the hospital. When they had people check at the hospital, they found out that everyone who had the same disease had the same neck lace under their bed…since we live close to the water tower, they think that I caused it now."

Merlin shook his head adamantly, "But that's insane! There's no way that you would do something like that. I don't think you would even know _how_ to do something like that." Gwen laughed bitterly, "Well, I'm glad someone believes me! So far you're the only one that does." Merlin smiled sadly and asked, "So what happens now?" Gwen started sobbing and said, "I go to jail. Unless the sickness stops or they figure out who's doing it." Merlin forcefully said, "No. You're not going to jail. I'm not going to let that happen. Can you show me what this pendant thing looked like?" Gwen nodded slightly and proceeded to draw the symbol.

Merlin looked at it for a moment before sighing, "Well, I have no idea what it is, but maybe Gaius does. I'll show it to him before class tomorrow. You gonna be ok?" He returned Gwen's nod and rose. As he walked to the door, he said, "Don't worry. We'll figure this out in time for you to take the Chem test on Friday."

Despite herself, Gwen smiled. "Great! Just one more thing I have to worry about!" she called after Merlin's retreating back. After she heard him laugh, she felt her worry ebbing away. For some reason, she believed him when he said that everything would be ok.

**Meanwhile…**

After Merlin left, Arthur went down to his dad's office. After knocking and getting permission to enter, he sat down in one of the chairs in front of his dad's desk and stared into space. Uther waited for his son to speak, but when he just continued to sit there, he decided to wake him from his stupor. "Arthur!" Arthur blinked and sat up straight looking surprised. Uther shook his head and continued, "Do you have something you wish to talk to me about?"

Arthur blushed and nodded before saying, "Yeah. Umm…you know that mysterious illness everyone's talking about?"

Uther nodded and replied, "Yes, I believe they caught the person responsible. Hopefully, they will be able to discover an antidote."

Arthur shook his head and said, "That's just the thing. I don't think they caught the right person." When he saw his father's skeptical look, he explained, "I know the girl – well, Merlin does – she's his best friend. She's not one of the 'popular' crowd, but she's really quiet. I have a hard time believing she could do something like this. Plus, Merlin's so boring, there's no way he'd hang out with someone like that." The last bit seemed to be an afterthought.

Uther sat in silence for a while before saying, "Well, appearances can be deceiving. Plus, the evidence against her is overwhelming. How do you explain the fact that the only person who got well instead of dying was the girl's father?" Arthur shrugged and replied, "I don't know, but there's no way she did it." After his last statement, he got up and left the room quietly. Uther shook his head and sighed before returning to the papers he was working on.

The next morning, Merlin walked into his Chemistry classroom. After putting his backpack at his seat and grabbing the piece of paper with Gwen's drawing on it he walked up to Gaius. "Hey, Gaius. I was wondering if you knew what this symbol is? It's kind of a matter of life or death." Although Gaius was confused, he looked at the paper. His face turned white.

"Where did you get this, Merlin?" Gaius asked. Merlin explained about Gwen's arrest and the pendants. "Why? Do you know it?" he asked. Gaius nodded slowly. "This is the mark of Nimueh. She's a very powerful witch. It makes sense that she would cause this. She bears grudges against several people – myself and Arthur's father included." Merlin sat down hard on the edge of the desk.

"So how do we stop it?" Merlin asked. Gaius replied, "The only way to stop it would be to stop her." Merlin nodded and asked, "Do you know how the illness is spreading?" Gaius replied, "Water. It's the only thing that makes sense given that the people are from different backgrounds, social circles, and parts of town." Merlin nodded, "Thanks." Then the bell rang and class began as usual, with one exception. Merlin stopped Arthur after class and told him to meet him in the library during lunch. Something about his face told Arthur not to argue.

At lunch, Arthur met Merlin in the library. "So why did I have to come here?" Arthur whined. Merlin replied, "It's about Gwen." Merlin explained what Gwen had told him, showed him the symbol – though not it's magical origins – and that whatever was causing the illness was at the water reservoir. Arthur sat down, stunned. Merlin asked, "Do you know how we could get in there?"

Arthur thought for a moment and replied, "Yeah. My dad's pretty connected. He has keys to most of the important points in town. Why are we trying to get in there?" Merlin answered, "If we can kill whatever it is that's causing the illness while Gwen is in custody, we can prove that she didn't do it and they'll have to release her." Arthur nodded, "Ok…when do you want to go?"

Merlin thought and replied, "How okay would you be with skipping that review session after school?"

**Meanwhile…**

After what Merlin had told him, Gaius decided that he needed to talk to Uther right away. Not many people knew it, but they had known each other for years. At his lunch break, Gaius drove to Uthercorp and after telling the receptionist that he was there to see Uther and that it was urgent, he went straight up. Uther rose from his desk and shook Gaius's hand, "Gaius. What's this about?" Gaius took a deep breath and told him the whole story. Finally, he said, "There's one more thing. The mark on those necklaces? It's Nimueh."

Uther turned white as a sheet. "Are you sure?" he asked hoarsely. Gaius nodded solemnly. "My God…will I never be rid of her…?" he murmured. "Thank you for telling me Gaius…if you don't mind, I think I need to be alone right now." Gaius nodded in understanding and left. He had to get back to school anyway.

That afternoon, Merlin went to Arthur's house as planned. After making sure that Arthur's dad wasn't home, Arthur went into his office and got the keys from the drawer in the desk that his father kept them in. Since it wasn't too far, Merlin and Arthur decided to walk to the reservoir. It would draw too many questions if anyone saw Arthur's car there and recognized it.

Once they got there, Arthur asked, "So…what do we do now?" Merlin thought for a moment and replied, "I guess we look for anything with that symbol on it." Arthur nodded and said, "What does it look like again?' Merlin sighed in exasperation before turning white and pointing behind Arthur. "Like that," he said shakily as Arthur turned and saw what looked like a snake tail disappearing behind a corner. The snake's back was covered with the same symbol that Merlin had shown him. Judging by the size, it had to be at least six feet long.

"Ah…right," Arthur said quietly before grabbing a thick branch and creeping after the snake. Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes before bending down and pretending to tie his shoe. He knew that the snake had some kind of magical property so a big branch wasn't going to be enough to kill it. After thinking for a moment, Merlin quickly muttered a spell that would make the branch much stronger. With that done, he followed Arthur after the snake. When he caught up to Arthur, he was rewarded by a harshly muttered, "What took you so long?"

Merlin shrugged and replied, "I had to tie my shoe. Find the snake?" Arthur shook his head no. They continued walking for another few minutes before the snake suddenly appeared in front of them like it was waiting. It reared slightly and hissed at Arthur who blanched. Just when it looked like the snake was about to strike, Arthur swung the branch like a baseball bat and knocked the snake into a wall. They heard a sickening crack and cautiously moved to where the snake was laying to make sure it was dead. Once they got back outside the reservoir area, Merlin pulled out his cell. "What are you doing?" Arthur asked. Merlin replied, "I'm calling the authorities. They have to have proof that something else caused the poison before they release her. Arthur nodded and moved over to the car to wait.

**Meanwhile…**

Nimueh looked up from her birdbath in disgust. She splashed the water in fury before hissing, "Merlin, you will pay for this! Looks like I have a high school dance to crash." With those ominous last words, she grabbed her bag and walked out the door intent on finding a dress.

An hour after Merlin and Arthur had killed the snake, they were waiting at the police station for Gwen to be released. As she ran out, she was hugged first by her father who was also waiting. He turned to the boys and said, "I can never repay you for this. Thank you so much." He then left to give Gwen a few private moments to say her goodbyes. She turned to Arthur first. Summoning up her courage, she said softly, "I guess I have you to thank for this. You basically saved my life."

Arthur shrugged it off, "No biggie. You don't seem like the mass murderer type." He abruptly walked off after that.

Merlin rolled his eyes and said to Gwen, "You know, I might be imagining it, but I think he was blushing a little."

Gwen shook her head and said, "There's no way. Thank you so much for doing this." She then took Merlin in a hug so tight he thought his ribs would crack.

After catching his breath, Merlin replied, "You're my best friend. There's no way I'd let you go to jail." When Gwen smiled, he continued, "Besides, don't thank me yet. We have a Chem test tomorrow and you haven't even gotten to study for it. Gwen groaned and Merlin laughed before saying, "C'mon, your dad's waiting. I'll help you study for a bit before I go home." Gwen smiled in relief and they walked out to meet her dad.

**Please review! I want to know your thoughts. Also, my friend and I made up a list of songs that we thought would describe the characters that I am using. Any interest in seeing that? If so, I'll post it before my next chapter.**


	5. Song List

**Ok, so a couple of people have said that they would like the song list I mentioned. Hopefully this will keep you happy while I write the next chapter. If the song isn't well-known, I'll write the artist in parentheses next to it. By the way, some of you may have already guessed Arthur's song from the previous chapter.**

Merlin – I've Got the Magic in Me

Arthur – Party Rock Anthem

Gwen – Teardrops on My Guitar

Morgana – Snow White Queen (Evanescence)

Gwaine – Wanted Dead or Alive

Percival – Hero (Nickelback)

Mordred – Killer (Plain White Tees)

Arthur and Gwen – Terrified (Katherine McPhee)

Freya and Merlin – All About Us (Owl City)

Freya – Fighter, Real Wild Child

Lancelot – Watching You Watch Him (Eric Hutchinson)

Elyan – Amazing (Kanye West)

**Yes, I know some of you may know that certain songs were written by certain artists, but just in case. Enjoy! And, if you want to listen to a song when a specific character appears feel free. I do plan to include some, if not all, of the songs in this story at some point. Review and let me know what you think!**


	6. The Poisoned Chalice Part 1

**Hey guys! Sorry this took so long but I found this chapter really hard to write. You'll see why when you read. Hope you enjoy!**

"Hey Merlin," Gwen called out as she entered the school and saw Merlin a few feet ahead of her. Merlin turned around, startled, and waved before stopping and waiting for her to catch up. When Gwen reached Merlin, she took in his attire before saying, "I guess you decided to do the school colors thing anyway. Cool jacket by the way." Merlin was wearing a red t-shirt, jeans, and a brown leather jacket that for some reason reminded Gwen of Captain America – without the suit.

Merlin laughed and replied, "Thanks. And as for school colors, I wasn't really thinking about it. Red and blue are my favorite colors so most of my wardrobe seems to be made up of them. What about you?" He gestured to Gwen's outfit of jeans, layered red and purple tank tops, and a jean jacket. Gwen shrugged and replied, "I figured I might as well do school colors at least one of the homecoming days."

They started walking towards class before a table blocked the hallway. "Umm… what is this?" Merlin asked. Gwen answered, "Oh yeah, this is the other thing we do homecoming week. Everyday, the school does something special. Looks like Monday is doughnut day." Sure enough, the table was covered with boxes of Krispy Kremes. Merlin and Gwen came to the table, got their doughnuts, and continued through the hallway to their Chemistry class. As they sat down, Merlin took a bite of his doughnut and moaned in pleasure. Gwen looked at him with a weird look and giggled causing Merlin to smile sheepishly. More to get her to stop laughing at him than anything else, he asked, "So, do you think we'll be getting our tests back today?"

Gwen abruptly stopped laughing and said, "God, I hope not! With everything that happened last week, I barely got to study. I probably failed…" Merlin faked an insulted look and replied, "With me helping you study? Never." His remark caused Gwen to laugh and they quickly turned their attention to Gaius as he entered the room.

**Meanwhile…**

Nimueh was also busy this Monday morning. While her plan would only come to fruition at the Homecoming Dance on the weekend, there were preparations to be made. After plucking a petal from the rare flower she liked to grow, she dipped it into her birdbath and murmured an incantation. Satisfied that her spell worked, she then slipped the petal into a small box and placed the box on an end table by the entrance of her house. She went back to her birdbath and used it to scry for Merlin, showing her an image of him calmly eating with a girl beside him. "Don't worry Merlin, " she said to his image, "You won't need to worry about high school much longer."

Back at school, Merlin and Gwen had just sat down for lunch. "So," Merlin started, " about this weekend, how dressy is the dance?" Gwen shrugged and replied, "It's a semiformal, which for guys means a suit – although you could probably get away without a tie if you wanted." Merlin nodded in relief, making Gwen laugh. Looking behind Merlin she stopped laughing abruptly. Merlin looked up in surprise to find Arthur standing there. Since Arthur never associated with him except to tell him about tutoring or to insult him, he was confused. "Arthur?" Merlin asked.

Arthur nodded before turning to Gwen and saying, "Hi. I just wanted to ask how your dad was doing?" Gwen blushed and replied, "He's doing great. Almost healthier than before he got sick if that's possible. Thanks." Arthur nodded again before saying, "Glad to hear it." He then immediately walked away. Merlin turned to Gwen and said, "Well…that was weird." Gwen nodded absentmindedly still staring in Arthur's direction. Merlin rolled his eyes and turned back to his lunch.

Tuesday passed much the same as Monday with the only difference being that the school served popsicles instead of doughnuts. After Gwen dropped Merlin off at home, she headed straight for the mall to pick out a dress for homecoming. She parked right by Dillard's and headed inside. Gwen had about 50 dollars to spend on a dress and she hoping to find a great one within her budget. When she got to the dress section, she managed to pick about six options within her price range. Heading to the dressing room, she slipped out of her purple t-shirt and denim miniskirt and tried on the first dress. It was black, strapless, and went down to her knees. It also fit her perfectly, but she wasn't too fond of the color. Taking it off, she tried on the next dress and turned red. The greenish dress was much shorter than it looked. It immediately went in the "no" pile. The next two dresses she tried on were red. The first was gorgeous, but it was floor-length and too fancy for a homecoming dance. The other one was a bandage dress. It looked fantastic on her, but she felt like she could barely breath. Next came a purple dress. It had looked great on the hanger, but when she put it on, she made a face. The dress was two-toned and she couldn't imagine herself wearing a dress like that. Gwen really hoped the last dress she tried on would be perfect, otherwise she would be wearing the black dress. Gwen grabbed the last dress off the hanger and put it on, hardly daring to look in the mirror. When she did, she gasped. Not only did the dress fit her perfectly, it was gorgeous as well. The dress was white with spaghetti straps and a full skirt. The top was almost covered with gold and silver sequins that decreased as they went down onto the skirt. Gwen was in love. Taking it off and changing back into her clothes, she paid for the dress and left even more excited for homecoming.

As Merlin walked to class with Gwen, he was somewhat disappointed to find that there were no tables in the middle of the hallway. "What?" he asked Gwen, "No treats today?" Gwen smiled slyly and replied, "Just wait until lunch. We don't get free food everyday, you know." Merlin sighed disappointed, making Gwen laugh and pat his shoulder faux-sympathetically. As classes progressed, Merlin got more and more excited for lunch because of what Gwen had said. As soon as the bell for lunch rang, Merlin jumped out of his seat and waited impatiently for Gwen at the door. When they entered the cafeteria, Merlin was surprised to see a large stage set up near the front of the cafeteria. "So, what?" Merlin asked, "A talent show?" Gwen shook her head and replied, "Not exactly. It's karaoke." Merlin nodded and replied with a smile, "Ok then. Let's sign you up." As he started walking, he was surprised to find Gwen pull him back hard. "Are you nuts?" she cried, "I can't go up there!"

Merlin asked, "Why not? I've heard you sing while we're studying. You have a fantastic voice!" Gwen blushed and answered, "Well, thanks for that, but I can't. There's a reason why I'm not in the choral group. I get crazy stage fright." Merlin shook his head but sat down at their normal table with his lunch. He continued to pester her about going on stage. After a particularly terrible girl got off the stage he said, "Oh come on! You can't be worse than she is! You've even got a rock star look going on today – kind of." Gwen looked down at her outfit of a loose, red top, skinny jeans, and studded boots and sighed. "Ok," she replied, "I kind of see what you mean with the boots but I'm still not, I repeat NOT, going up there!" Since lunch was almost over, Merlin gave up. He was pretty sure that even if he did get her to sign up, she would chase him down the hall with a microphone in hand and beat him with it and he didn't want to risk it.

That afternoon, Merlin and Arthur surprisingly finished their tutoring session about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. While they waited for Merlin's mom to pick him up, they managed to have an actual conversation. When Arthur expressed surprise at Merlin going to homecoming with Gwen, Merlin explained. "It's just as friends, " he started, "No one else asked her and there's no one else I really like so it just seemed like the normal thing to do." He shrugged, "So, is the great Arthur Pendragon going with anyone?" He said that last part sarcastically, not that Arthur paid attention to that. Arthur shrugged and shook his head, "Nope. Most girls are too intimidated by me – " Merlin snorted at this, causing Arthur to glare at him briefly before continuing, "And I don't have a thing for any of the girls at school at the moment. Besides, having a date is way too much pressure. It's more fun to just go with my friends on the football team." Merlin nodded. He at least understood about a date being full of pressure. About a minute later, Merlin's mom pulled up and honked so Merlin and Arthur said goodbye and Merlin left.

On Thursday, Gwen was again amused by Merlin's disappointment at the lack of tables crowding the hallways. Laughing at his dejected expression, she dragged him into their chemistry classroom while saying, "Don't worry. They serve something special at lunch today." Merlin perked up at this and was once again excited for lunch. As he and Gwen walked into the cafeteria, he noticed a separate table that hadn't been there the day before. Looking closer, he noticed several trays of sushi on it. The other options for lunch were still available, but most of the students had already flocked to the sushi table. After waiting in line for about ten minutes, Gwen and Merlin sat down at their usual table with their sushi and started talking about their classes and pretty much anything else that came to mind. Towards the end of lunch, they heard a shout and looked up startled. They had no clue what was going on, but they saw Morgan storm away from Arthur's table and sweep out of the cafeteria with her usual gang of flunkies surrounding her. "What was that about?" Gwen asked. Merlin shrugged with a bewildered expression and followed Gwen out of the cafeteria.

The rest of the day, the scene in the cafeteria was all that anyone talked about. Merlin and Gwen joined the different groups in discussing what had happened. When Merlin got to gym, he changed into his gym clothes and joined Will who, like everyone else, was talking about the scene Morgan made. The only difference was that he actually knew what happened. When Merlin mentioned it, he got very excited and replied, "Wait till you hear why she screamed…"

On Friday morning, Merlin looked for Gwen as soon as he got to school. When he got to his chemistry classroom and hadn't seen her, he was excited not to mention a little confused as to why he hadn't found his friend. Again, there were no tables with free food in the hallway. Gwen finally slid into her seat just before the bell rang. Merlin turned to her and whisper-shouted, "Where have you been?! I have something really important to tell you!"

Gwen sighed and replied quietly, "Sorry, my car wouldn't start this morning. You may not have noticed but it's not exactly new…" Merlin was about to reply when he saw a discreet glare from Gaius in his direction. Merlin nodded quickly at Gwen and gave Gaius an apologetic smile as he turned his attention to the lecture.

It was lunch before Merlin and Gwen got to finish their conversation. "So," Gwen asked as they sat down, "What's this incredibly important news that you need to tell me?" Merlin nodded and swallowed the bite of his burger that he had taken before replying, "You remember how I found out that you liked Arthur?" Gwen groaned and blushed, "Yeah…what does that have to do with anything?"

Merlin smirked and replied, "Looks like reality imitated fantasy." At Gwen's confused look, Merlin elaborated, "Gwen, Morgan actually asked Arthur to homecoming yesterday. Gwen looked disappointed and replied, "That sounds like good news – for her at least. Why did she freak out?" Merlin answered, "He said no." It was silent for a few minutes as that news sank in. When it finally did, a small smile grew on Gwen's face and she whispered, "So he doesn't like her then." Merlin shook his head and said, "Apparently, he doesn't like anyone at the moment. Although, I didn't think he would actually say no to someone if he got asked…so maybe he's got a crush on someone." He said this last part with a pointed look at Gwen. Gwen turned red and shook her head as they left the cafeteria to get to class.

Gym was cancelled that day because of the homecoming pep rally. After it ended, Merlin found Gwen in the parking lot and remarked, "You know, I think we were the only two people not dressed in school colors today. Gwen shrugged and looked at her own outfit of a purple dress, and then looked at Merlin in a blue shirt and replied, "I guess so. Doesn't really make a difference though…" Merlin nodded and got into her car. As she dropped him off at home, she said, "So I'll pick you up around six tomorrow so we can get to the dance?" Merlin nodded and walked up to his house.

As the doorbell rang at six the next day, Merlin adjusted his tie one last time before going to answer the door. The moment he got a look at Gwen, his jaw dropped. "Wow…you look amazing!" Merlin said. Gwen smiled, blushed and replied, "Thanks, you too. Although, I thought you weren't going to wear a tie." She said this last part in a teasing manner. Merlin shrugged and replied, "I'll probably take it off later. My mom wants pictures so…" Gwen nodded and Merlin let her in. After an agonizing half hour of pictures, the pair finally made their way to the school.

So far, homecoming was going off without a hitch – unless you counted the abnormal number of One Direction songs. After the latest one finished, Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes. "Hey, Gwen," he asked, "Want some punch?" Gwen nodded in relief. Her shoes were starting to hurt. She went and sat down at one of the tables while Merlin went to get their drinks. As Merlin makes a beeline for the punch bowl, he sees Arthur moping in a corner looking strangely like a vampire. As he passed him, he asked, "What's wrong with you? This is a dance. In case you didn't know, this is a social event in which two or more people get together and move their feet to out-of-tune, ridiculously catchy pop music. Arthur shrugs and replies, "I just don't feel like dancing at the moment…" Merlin nods and smiles slyly before replying, "You know, Gwen doesn't have anyone to dance with right now…"

Arthur looks confused and asks, "Wait, who?" Just as Merlin is about to roll his eyes at Arthur's cluelessness, Arthur continues, "Oh, yeah, you brought her as a date right? Where is she?" because he hadn't seen her the entire night. Merlin nods toward one of the tables where Gwen is standing, apparently looking for him. He should have been back with the punch about five minutes ago. When Arthur turns and sees Gwen, he is momentarily speechless before he finally manages to say, "Uh…wow…" Merlin snickers and replies, "I know. She looks amazing." At that moment, the spotlight that was moving around the room stops on Gwen making the sparkles on her dress stand out and making her look more radiant than ever. Arthur caught his breath. Merlin looked at him strangely for a minute, slightly afraid that something was wrong with Arthur. He seemed to be having trouble speaking. After about thirty seconds, Arthur looked back at Merlin with a seemingly unimpressed look, "Yeah, she looks nice." Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur. It was so obvious that he was trying to deny his massive feelings for Gwen.

In order to distract Merlin, he changes the subject. "Hey, are you getting punch?" he asks. Merlin nods reluctantly, already seeing where this is going. "Go get me some," Arthur orders. Merlin nods before bowing mockingly and saying sarcastically, "As you wish, your Highness…" Without giving Arthur a chance to reply, he heads over to the punch table.

**Meanwhile…**

Nimueh watches Merlin from the corner and as he walks to the punch table, she follows quietly. Merlin pours a cup for himself and Arthur just as Will bumps into him. When Merlin turns around to look, Nimueh slips the magic petal into his cup. Merlin apologizes to Will and asks, "Hey, how's it going?" Will smiles and introduces Merlin to his date, Allie. Suddenly, Will notices Nimueh. "Kay, well I'll see you later Merlin," Will says suddenly, nodding not so discreetly over Merlin's shoulder. With that, he and Allie dance away. Merlin looks confused for a second before he turns around and his jaw drops again. Standing before was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her red and white dotted dress hugged her curves perfectly and her pale skin enhanced her dark hair and bright blue eyes. "Umm…hi," he says nervously. Nimueh smiles sweetly and replies, "Hello. My name's Sara. What's your name?" Merlin nervously wipes his suddenly sweating hands on his pants before holding one out to her, "Merlin. It's nice to meet you."

While this is going on, Arthur gets tired of waiting for Merlin and heads over to the punch table to berate him for taking so long. As he approaches, he sees Merlin talking to a girl. Arthur smirks and decides to take pity on him. He goes over to the punch table and quietly grabs two cups of punch – one for him and one for Gwen. He leaves the two alone with a glance back over his shoulder as he sees Merlin attempting to flirt. He snorts and goes over to Gwen, handing her one of the cups. When Gwen looks at him confused, he nods to Merlin and says, "Merlin got a little distracted so I guess you'll just have to settle for me." Gwen blushes and murmurs, "Thank you." She looks over to Merlin again and sees him heading for the dance floor with the mysterious girl he was talking to. Shrugging and deciding to enjoy her time with Arthur, she ignores Merlin and asks, "So, are you enjoying the dance?" Arthur gives her a crooked smile and replies, "I am now." This causes Gwen to blush but she is determined to keep talking to Arthur. They talk for about half an hour without any awkward silences.

**Meanwhile…**

Merlin couldn't believe his luck. He was actually talking to a beautiful girl and not making a fool of himself. Steeling himself, he finished his punch and asked her to dance. "Sara" smiled brilliantly and accepted. Nimueh was relieved that he finally finished his drink. If he hadn't, the poison wouldn't have been strong enough to act. Satisfied that her revenge plan would work, she had no problem dancing with him. "It's too bad he's cute…" she thought. After dancing to a few songs, the music stopped and one of the teachers got up on stage. Knowing what was coming, Merlin looked around for Arthur and found him talking to Gwen. Merlin smiled smugly – he knew Arthur had a thing for her. The teacher said, "Alright, as per tradition, it is time to crown our homecoming king!" His statement was meant with cheers from almost the entire student body. The teacher continued, "After he is crowned, he will choose his princess and they will share a dance. Without further ado, the homecoming king is…Arthur Pendragon!" Merlin cheered for his – dare he say it – friend along with the rest of the student body. Arthur made his way up to the stage, seeming much less cocky than he usually was. "So," the teacher asked before giving him the microphone, "Who is your princess?"

Arthur blushed slightly and quickly got back off the stage before walking over to where Gwen was standing. He gently offered her his hand and when she took it, he gently led her back to the stage. Whispers were running through the crowd – well, besides Morgan and her friends. They were standing there with shocked looks on their faces. Merlin was cheering so loud, along with a couple of others, he was surprised that he didn't go deaf. After a while, the noise grew, with more of the others joining in. Morgan and her cronies had apparently gotten over their shock and were trying to make their insults towards Gwen be heard over everyone else. Seeing this as the perfect distraction and knowing that she only had a few minutes before the poison would take effect, Nimueh quickly made her escape. The rest of the students cleared the floor and Arthur and a blushing Gwen made their way down from the stage for their first dance. As the music started, they heard a scream and turned toward the crowd. Merlin was lying on the ground completely still. Gwen let go of Arthur and ran towards him.

"MERLIN!"

**So what do you think? Please review. And, for those of you who like to have a visual, all of Gwen's outfits are on my account on polyvore including the homecoming dresses. Just go to the website and type in my pen name in the search box They're in the _Merlin_ collection. UNtil next time!**


	7. The Poisoned Chalice Part 2

**Sorry this took so long. It was supposed to be up yesterday but I had some issues with the internet. Anyway, enjoy!**

_Merlin was lying on the ground completely still. Gwen let go of Arthur and ran towards him. "MERLIN!"_

If Arthur hadn't been so shocked, he would have been furious at Merlin. He finally got a chance to show Gwen how he feels without having to risk rejection and Merlin goes and passes out. What the hell?! Arthur sighed slightly, walked over, and knelt beside Gwen and Merlin. Noticing that everyone was staring, he rolled his eyes and shouted, "What did everyone lose their cell phones? Are you all gonna stand there staring or will someone call 911?" This seemed to snap at least a few people out of their trance.

By this time, Gaius, who was chaperoning the dance along with a few other people had arrived. He knelt beside Merlin and checked his pulse and doing a few other doctor-ly things that no one understood. The principal walked over and asked, "Is he okay? Do you know what happened?" Gaius looked up with a troubled expression and said, "His pulse is steady but it's getting weaker. As to what happened, I have no idea." Turning to the students, he continued, "Did anyone see him eat or drink anything?"

Arthur stepped forward and to the surprise of everyone, replied, "All he had was a cup of punch. But it can't be the punch bowl that was poisoned – Gwen and I also had a drink and we're fine." Gaius nodded and muttered, "Poison…" He turned back to Arthur and asked, "Do you think you could find me his cup? I need to know what the poison is to figure out the antidote." Arthur nodded and headed towards the punch table. Luckily, Merlin had been too enamored with his mystery girl to throw it out before going to dance.

By the time he got back to the others, the EMTs had arrived and were loading Merlin onto a stretcher. He quickly handed the punch cup to Gaius, correctly assuming that he was riding with Merlin in the ambulance. As they left, Arthur turned to Gwen. "I'll just get my coat and then we can go to the hospital, ok?" Gwen nodded and smiled gratefully. He had basically read her mind. Once they arrived at the hospital, the two of them rushed to Gaius who was wearing a hole in the waiting room floor with all his pacing. "Anything?" Arthur asked.

"No. They don't know what that flower petal in his cup is and I can't think of a way to tell them what I know and if I don't then he'll die but if I do they'll think I'm crazy and – "Gaius's rambling was cut off by Arthur who asked, "Hold on. What are you talking about?" Gaius looked mortified that he had almost let the secret about magic slip, but at Gwen and Arthur's expectant looks he sighed, "What I am about to tell you, you must never repeat to anyone. Do you understand?" Gwen and Arthur nodded impatiently and Gaius continued, "That flower is magical." Gwen and Arthur burst out laughing. At Gaius's still completely solemn expression they stopped and Gwen replied, "You can't be serious." When Gaius didn't reply, she continued, "I thought magic was just a myth!"

Gaius shook his head and replied, "Where did you think the myths came from? They actually did manage to burn some witches during the Salem Witch Trials. The rest went into hiding or died out. Only a few managed to live normal lives and have kids. That's why magic is so rare today. It's genetic." Gwen and Arthur sat down in the nearby waiting room chairs with a thump. They looked shell-shocked.

"Okay," Arthur began, "So, basically, the only way to save Merlin is to find a cure for a magical poisonous flower. I can't believe I'm saying this but, where can we find it?" Arthur shook his head. He knew he sounded crazy but he also knew that Gaius was one of the sanest people he knew. Gaius sighed relieved and said, "They're really rare, but they grow in a cave deep in the woods. Doesn't matter though – your father will never let you go." Arthur grimaced and replied, "Leave him to me." After saying a quick goodbye to Gwen, Arthur left the hospital determined to save his tutor and almost friend.

Arthur burst in through the front door of his house and, seeing no sign of his father, yelled, "Dad!" Arthur's father appeared from the room of his study and smiled saying, "Arthur! You're back early. How was the dance?" Arthur rolled his eyes and said, "Not important right now. Merlin collapsed and the doctor's can't save him but I know where to find that plant the poisoned him and the antidote is in the same place and if I don't hurry Merlin will die and I need you to let me go. So can I?"

He had said all of this in one breath and his father looked slightly confused. "Okay, Arthur," his father said, "Why don't you try explaining that to me again – slowly." Arthur groaned and repeated what he had said more coherently. When he finished, his father looked at him and said sympathetically, "The boy's fate is terrible, but I can't allow you to go." When Arthur tried to protest, he continued, "Arthur, I can't just let you go gallivanting out in the woods – especially there! This plant is found in a cave, right?" When Arthur silently nodded, he said, "Because of the caves, that area of the woods is favored by grizzly bears. I'm not going to let you be killed by a bear just because something there could save your friend!" Arthur still looked slightly defiant and his father sighed and stepped forward. Placing his hand on Arthur's shoulder, he said, "I know you don't want him to die, and frankly neither do I. That would be terrible. However, I already lost your mother and I _can not_ lose you too." As he walked away, he added, "I'll be posting one of the guard's outside your door tonight. Don't even think about trying to leave." Arthur stood there shell-shocked long after the study door had closed.

A few hours later, Arthur paused in his pacing for the fifteenth time in as many minutes. He couldn't hear anything but knew that the guard might still be outside his door. Quietly, he crept to the door and opened it slightly. The guard simply looked back at him impassively. With a groan, Arthur closed his bedroom door again and collapsed onto his bed. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that he was supposed to save Merlin. Thinking quickly, he remembered the escape ladder that his dad had randomly bought in case there was a fire. Arthur quickly locked his door and ran to his closet. The ladder was still in the box that it had been sold in. He grabbed it and walked as quickly as he could to his window. After opening the glass and removing the screen, he hung the ladder as directed. It didn't quite reach to the ground but the drop was small enough that it wouldn't hurt – much.

As he reached the garage, he muttered under his breath, "Thank God this can be opened manually." Looking around the massive interior, he immediately skipped over his own car and settled on the brown jeep that the gardener used. It would be able to handle the forest floors better. He turned it on and exited the garage quietly before gunning the engine and heading to the forest on the edge of town.

**Meanwhile…**

Nimueh saw this and smiled. Not only would she get her revenge on Merlin, but she would be able to get her revenge on Uther as well. After casting a spell on her arm to make it look like it was scraped and changing into some more casual clothes, she headed out the door so she could intercept Arthur before he made it to the caves.

**Back at the forest…**

Thanks to loggers in the area, the trees were widely spaced enough that Arthur could drive through them with little trouble. As he reached the area with the caves, he heard a woman crying. Grabbing a thick branch to use as a weapon, he approached her. "Are you alright?" he asked. Looking up at him, the woman responded in a shaky voice, "I th-think so. I was camping and then I went for a hike and now…well, I'm kind of lost." She looked down, appearing embarrassed. Arthur, ever the noble kind of guy, replied, "Well, that's ok. I can give you a ride back to town. There's just something I need to get first." Nimueh looked up 'confused' "What could you possibly need? There isn't much around here." Arthur shrugged and replied, "There's a flower that grows inside these caves. Somehow, my friend got poisoned by one and if I don't get the leaf – "

"He'll die," the woman finished. "I know the flower you're talking about. I can show you where they grow. Follow me." Putting on her jacket, she led Arthur into the caves. At first, everything seemed normal. When they reached the spot where the flowers grew, Arthur noticed it was connected to the side they were on by a narrow, naturally formed bridge. Arthur handed his flashlight to the girl and started slowly and carefully walking across. When he was about halfway there, he heard Nimueh muttering something, but it sounded like nonsense. The bridge began to shake and Arthur cried, "What are you doing?" She ignored him and continued her spell. Out of time, Arthur jumped across and grabbed the ridged wall so he wouldn't fall to his death. Gasping, he heard a chittering sound and looked up. A spider the size of a house cat was crawling towards him. _Shit_, he thought. Nimueh laughed, "I guess I'll let him finish you off. Goodbye Arthur!" As she left, he shouted after her, "How do you know my name?" Groaning Arthur reached for the pocketknife he had thought to grab before he left the house. When the spider got close enough, he stabbed it as hard as it could. It fell off the wall and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief before noticing more spiders. Just then, a light appeared and the spiders ran away. The light also illuminated the flowers that he needed to get, but started moving up. With what he knew about magic now, he assumed the light was trying to lead him to an escape route. Ignoring it for the moment, he started climbing towards the flowers and grabbed a bunch in his fist. With the cure in hand, he climbed up, following the path of the light. He drove home as fast as he could, hoping he could get back before his father noticed he was gone.

No such luck. As Arthur pulled into the driveway of his house, he noticed his father standing on the front steps. Arthur sighed and knew he was going to be grounded for weeks. Hopefully, he'd be able to get the cure to Merlin before being under house arrest. Walking to his execution, he said, "Hello father. I know you're going to ground me until I'm thirty, but could you at least get this to the hospital?" He held up the flower. Uther glared and replied, "A flower is not going to save your friend. Now, get inside."

**Meanwhile…**

Gwen had come back to the hospital the minute visiting hours started. Merlin's condition had only worsened and she only hoped that Arthur would get back with the flower before it got any worse. Right at that moment, her cell phone beeped. Gwen looked and saw that it was a text from Arthur: _found flower but my dad got 2 me. HELP! _After taking a few minutes to think, Gwen figured out an excuse to go to Arthur's house. Last night, after she got home from the hospital, she had gotten a call from the school. Arthur's crown and her princess tiara from the dance had been left there since they were supposed to be crowned after their interrupted dance. Before she came to the hospital, she had gone to the school and picked up the crowns. They were sitting in her car at the moment. After telling Gaius that she was going to get the flower from Arthur, she ran out to her car. Gwen raced to Arthur's house, grabbed his crown, and headed nervously toward the door.

A man who looked like Arthur answered and she assumed he was Arthur's father. She introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Gwen. I'm a friend of Arthur's…" The man smiled semi-politely and replied, "Sorry, but Arthur is grounded for the time being. He can't have friends over." Gwen nodded and replied, "That's fine. I just wanted to drop off something. Arthur won homecoming prince last night and he left his crown…I just wanted to give it to him." Uther looked suspiciously at Gwen and finally replied, "5 minutes." He then moved aside and allowed her to enter. "First door on the left at the top of the stairs." Gwen smiled and nodded before darting up the stairs.

She knocked on Arthur's door and entered when he replied. "Gwen! Thank God! How did you get in here?" She replied, "I brought your crown from last night. Seemed like a good enough excuse to get a few minutes." Arthur nodded absent-mindedly while going over to his dresser. After rummaging in one of the drawers for a minute, he emerged with a triumphant, "Ha! Found it! This is the flower that Gaius needs to save Merlin. How's he doing?" Gwen grimaced and replied, "Still alive, but he's doing worse. I'll let you know if it works as soon as I know. Bye!"

Gwen gave the flower to Gaius who immediately plucked a leaf off the plant and rushed into Merlin's room. Gwen watched as he crushed the leaf into a cup of water that was sitting at Merlin's bedside and forced him to drink it. "Now we wait," he said. Gwen and Gaius sat tensely in the room for 15 minutes before anything happened. Merlin's heart monitor went crazy. It started beeping very fast before stopping altogether. However, before the two had a chance to do anything other than exchange looks, the monitor started beeping again, more strongly and steadily than before. They looked over at the bed, noticed he was waking up, and rushed to the side.

Merlin opened his eyes and noticed Gwen, "Hey, Gwen. How was the rest of the dance? Get a kiss from Prince Charming?" Gwen laughed and fairly tackled him in a hug before replying, "Not quite. Arthur was too busy saving your life. Oh, that reminds me. I told him I'd text him if you survived." Gwen walked away and started typing on her phone. Gaius started talking to Merlin, "You're lucky they believed me when I told them about magic." At Merlin's bewildered look he continued, "The flower that poisoned you was magical. Don't worry, they don't know about your secret. That is yours to tell them at your discretion." Merlin nodded and yawned. Gaius smiled and said, "Go to sleep. You still need to recuperate." Merlin nodded and closed his eyes.

**Later that day…**

Arthur arrived at the hospital to see Merlin sitting up in bed looking bored out of his mind as he flipped through the channels on the crappy hospital television. Arthur walked in and said, "Still alive, then?" Merlin looked over and laughed slightly, "Yeah. Apparently you saved my life. Thanks." Arthur shrugged and said, "No big deal. Just returning the favor. And by the way, we have a tutoring session tomorrow after school. See you then. " And with that, Arthur walked out of the hospital room and tried to convince himself that he and Merlin couldn't be friends. The problem was, he had a feeling they already were.

**I know this sounded a lot like the actual episode, but there were only so many ways this chapter could go. How'd I do? Please review and let me know!**


	8. Lancelot

**I finally got a new chapter done! For some reason, it was really hard to get this chapter done even though I knew how I was going to change it. Please keep in mind that I really have no idea how football works so if that doesn't make sense just go with it. Enjoy!**

About a week after the homecoming incident, Merlin's mom finally felt that he had recovered enough to be allowed out in the woods behind their house. Although he wasn't an athlete, Merlin loved to be outside. The second he was given permission, he ran out the backdoor and into the forest. After hiking for about a half an hour, he came to a small meadow and decided to sit down for a bit and rest. Just because he was recovered, it didn't mean that he didn't still get tired after continuous physical activity.

After sitting and staring at the clouds for about half an hour, Merlin sat up straight when he heard a hissing sound. Looking across the meadow, he saw a huge cougar stalking toward him. Merlin gulped and stood up slowly before backing away and running as fast as he could. Unfortunately, the cat followed and he tripped over a root about ten meters out. Flipping over, he saw the cougar moving closer and closed his eyes. He didn't really want to see himself being clawed apart. Just then he heard a yelp. Opening his eyes, he saw that a large rock was lying next to the cat and it was staring into the forest at his left. Merlin sat up just as another rock came flying through the air. It landed right next to the cat and he hissed again before running away. Merlin stood up shakily and watched as a tall, Spanish-looking guy emerged from the forest. He looked to be about Merlin's age. "Thank you," Merlin said to the boy, "You practically saved my life. I'm Merlin." He stuck out a hand for the other boy to shake.

He replied, "It was no problem, really. My name's Lancelot, but please call me Lance." Merlin smiled and the two stood awkwardly for a moment before Merlin asked, "So…not that I'm not grateful, but what were you randomly doing in the woods behind my house?" Lancelot smiled sheepishly and replied, "Actually…I was trying to figure out if there were any empty houses around here. I don't exactly live here, but I need to."

"Why?" Merlin asked, "What's wrong with where you live right now?" Lancelot answered, "I'm a foster kid. My parents died when I was a kid. And the family I'm living with and the school I go to are…less than ideal. Plus, the football team sucks so there's no way any college scout is going to watch a game and no chance for me to go to college. I heard the team around here is one of the best in the state."

Merlin replied, "Yeah, it is. I hate to inflate the guy's ego anymore than it already is, but Arthur's a fantastic quarterback."

Lancelot looked confused and asked, "Arthur?"

Merlin nodded and replied, "Yeah, he's the team captain. I'm also his chemistry tutor. Long story. Anyway, I'm pretty sure you'd be a shoo-in for the team. I could see if I could get you a tryout. If only there was a way for you to actually be in this district…"

Lancelot nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's why I need to find an empty house. And it would be great if you could talk to Arthur for me. I need a tryout if I'm going to get into college in a couple years. You know of any places for me to live?"

Merlin shrugged and replied, "No empty places that I know of, but if I can get my mom to agree to it you could probably stay at our place. We have a spare bedroom."

Lancelot sighed, relieved, and said, "That would be great. Thanks."

Merlin shrugged and replied, "No problem. Come on. I should probably be getting back anyway." The two walked to his house and after Merlin finally managed to convince his mom that Lancelot was a relative of his dad's who had stopped by for a visit, they set Lancelot up in the spare room. Merlin said, "So, the bathroom's down the hall and dinner should be in about an hour. We could probably get you registered at the school tomorrow – my uncle's a teacher there. And after that, we could go down to the football field and see if they'll give you a tryout. Sound good?" Lancelot nodded and smiled, "Sounds great. You won't regret this I promise." Merlin nodded and left quietly.

The next morning, Lance and Merlin left early in order to get him registered. Merlin used his magic to trick the office into thinking that Lance actually lived there. Since he was starting in the middle of the semester, the receptionist put Lance in all of Merlin's classes except for his extra science class. He got Spanish instead. After getting his schedule, Lancelot and Merlin left the office. Merlin said, "We're a bit early, but that's okay. Come on, Chemistry is this way and I can introduce you to my uncle. His name's Gaius." Lancelot shrugged and followed Merlin down the corridor.

"Gaius, " Merlin called as he entered his uncle's classroom, "I'd like you to meet Lancelot. I met him yesterday when he saved my from being killed by a mountain lion." Gaius turned to him in shock and Merlin quickly added, "Long story…anyway, he's staying at my place for now and I got him registered for school this morning. He's gonna be trying out for the football team this afternoon – as long as Arthur's in a good mood." Gaius nodded and smiled at Lancelot, "Nice to meet you. Let's see…there's an odd number of students in the class now so I'll put you with Merlin and Gwen." Lancelot smiled and thanked him before grabbing an extra chair and placing it where Merlin indicated.

Gwen walked in and sat down. "Hi Merlin," she said cheerfully, "Who's this?" Merlin replied, "Good morning! And this is Lancelot. He's new so Gaius put him in our group." Gwen nodded and said to Lancelot, "Nice to meet you. So where did you move from?"

Lancelot blushed at Gwen's greeting before replying, "It's nice to meet you as well and as for where I'm from… let's just say I would rather not go back there." At Gwen's questioning look he continued, "I'm a foster kid. Not the greatest situation. Hopefully, I can find a place out here and join the football team so I can get into college."

Gwen smiled understandingly and replied, "Well, if Arthur listens to Merlin and me I don't think that will be a problem."

Merlin interrupted and said, "What's up with you two anyway?"

Gwen smiled again and opened her mouth to reply but Gaius started the lecture and she whispered, "I'll tell you at lunch." Both of them failed to notice the crestfallen look on Lancelot's face.

As Lancelot sat down at lunch with Merlin and Gwen, he was feeling conflicted. Because of his living situation, he didn't feel like he had any right feeling the way he did about Gwen – especially from what he had heard about her and Arthur. From what he could tell, the two weren't officially together, but whatever relationship they had was clearly heading in that direction. He was broken out of his thoughts when Merlin turned to Gwen and asked, "So you and Arthur?"

Gwen beamed and replied, "Well… since you kind of got poisoned at homecoming –"

"What?!" interrupted Lancelot, looking shocked at the pair.

Gwen smiled sheepishly, "It's a long story. Anyway, nothing has really happened since then. Arthur went off looking for the cure and he's had football practice pretty much every day after school – either that or he's had tutoring with you so… Although, he was really sweet at homecoming and he did leave the dance with me before getting crowned."

Merlin nodded and replied, "So basically, things are progressing – just really slowly." Gwen smiled shyly and shrugged. Throughout their exchange, Lancelot was looking down and frowning. He really didn't want to like this Arthur guy because it seemed like he had some kind of claim on Gwen. He sighed before realizing that Gwen was talking to him. "What? Sorry, lost in my thoughts." He asked.

Gwen laughed and shook her head before saying, "I was asking what classes you had next."

Lancelot blushed slightly and replied, "Oh, the receptionist put me in all of Merlin's classes so that I would know where to go. All except for his anatomy class. I've got Spanish then."

Gwen nodded and said, "I have Spanish in fifth period too. If you want I could meet you outside of your fourth period and show you how to get there?" Lancelot simply nodded, suddenly too nervous to respond verbally.

After fourth period, Gwen met Lancelot outside his class and walked with him to Spanish. Lancelot was uncharacteristically shy around her but still managed to keep up a small conversation. Spanish was uneventful except for the fact that Lancelot was able to keep up a fluent conversation with the teacher. Apparently, his mother was Spanish and she had taught him for several years before she died.

Merlin caught up with Lance and Gwen after school ended and the three walked down to the football field. "Okay," Merlin said, "Let me do the talking. He actually trusts me a little bit now." Gwen snorted and Merlin grimaced at her before grinning and continuing to walk towards Arthur who was taking a break. "Hey," he started.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked. "What are you doing here?" Merlin shrugged and replied, "I've got a favor." When Arthur just raised his eyebrows he continued, "I have a friend who wants to join the football team. Any chance you could give him a tryout?" Arthur was about to answer when Gwen walked over followed by Lancelot. He brightened immediately. "Gwen! It's nice to see you. Come to watch me practice?"

She laughed and shook her head, "Not exactly." She motioned to Lancelot and replied, "This is Lancelot, or Lance. He's here to try out." Arthur nodded slowly while watching Lance. He wasn't oblivious to the way he was watching Gwen, but he looked like he had a good form. Plus, they were playing against the Griffins this week and he needed all the help he could get. "Have you played before?" he asked.

"At my old school," Lance answered. "Unfortunately, the team sucks so if I want to go to college I need to play for a team they might actually watch." Arthur nodded and replied, "Well in that case, let's see what you've got." He instructed Lance on where to get some spare equipment and told the rest of the team about the new kid trying out. As he went out on the field, Arthur turned to Gwen and Merlin and asked, "So, do you think he can do this?" Merlin shrugged and replied, "Well, he did save me from a mountain lion this weekend by throwing a rock at it."

"What?!' Gwen asked. "You didn't tell me that." When Merlin shrugged she glared at him and he hurriedly continued, "Anyway, he's got a good arm and pretty good aim too. At least, I think so. The rock landed right next to the cat and he ran away." Arthur nodded and replied, "Well, he can definitely catch. Throwing the ball is my job. Maybe I'll make him a receiver…" He shrugged and turned back to the pair after watching Lance catch a fantastic pass. "Thanks for bringing him by. Gwen, could I talk to you for a minute?" As Gwen beamed and nodded, Merlin said, "…And that's my cue. See you in a few."

Arthur waited until Merlin walked down to the end of the field and then turned to Gwen, "I've got practice for another hour, but do you want to go to dinner tonight?" Gwen beamed and nodded. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, "Great! I'll pick you up at 6:30?" Gwen nodded and replied, "Sounds great. Should I wear anything special?" Arthur laughed and shook his head, "You look great in anything. Wear something casual. We aren't going to a fancy restaurant – yet." Gwen giggled and kissed him on the cheek before saying goodbye and walking over to Merlin.

"So, he asked you out then?" Merlin asked as they walked to the parking lot. Gwen nodded and smiled, "We're going out to dinner tonight."

Lancelot had noticed the exchange between Gwen and Arthur and, though he was disappointed, decided to focus on football. That was the original reason he was here and he didn't want to get in the way of the two. They seemed happy and he was a good guy. He didn't intentionally try to break people up. Trying to put Gwen out of his thoughts, he turned back to practice and focused on the game. At the end of practice, Arthur walked up to and clapped him on the back, "Nice work today. You're in. Besides, with the game against the Griffins this Friday we could definitely use you." Lance smiled and thanked him. Finally he had a chance to show what he could do.

The next few days passed normally with the exception of one thing. Arthur seemed to be pulling away from Gwen. When Merlin saw how sad Gwen seemed on Thursday, he asked her what was wrong. He didn't feel comfortable talking about this around Lance and luckily, he had decided to sit with his new friends on the football team today. "That's the thing," she said. "I don't know. Arthur and I had a great time when we went out on Monday but ever since he's…I don't know. He seems distracted or something…maybe he just doesn't really like me."

Merlin patted her shoulder sympathetically, "I'm sure that's not true. The guy practically does a happy dance whenever he sees you." Gwen smiled, albeit a bit hesitantly. He continued, "I can ask him what's going on if you want…?" Gwen replied, "No, that's ok. It's probably just the game. If he's still weird after that then maybe." Merlin nodded and returned to his lunch letting Gwen be alone with her thoughts.

At their tutoring session later that day, Merlin had to restrain himself from mentioning his conversation with Gwen. Unfortunately, Arthur noticed this and decided to confront him. "Okay, what gives?" he asked. When Merlin looking up at him confused he elaborated, "You've been quiet – well, quieter than usual. I know I'm getting better at this chem stuff but I'm not doing so good at it that you can act like you're not even here."

Merlin looked at him shocked, "Was there a compliment in there somewhere?" Arthur rolled his eyes and replied, "Seriously, what's going on? Dude, I'm your friend. If something is bothering you, I'm pretty sure you can tell me." Since Merlin really didn't want to break his promise to Gwen, he decided that teasing Arthur was the way to go. "Aww… we're friends now?" he asked with a mischievous grin. Arthur groaned and replied, "Forget I said anything. Now, about these halogens…"

It was Friday afternoon about 15 minutes before the game started. Lance and Arthur were talking in the locker room when the principal, the football coach, and, strangely, Arthur's father walked in. "Dad?" Arthur asked, "What's going on?" "I'm afraid we have a bit of a problem," Uther replied, "It seems that Lance doesn't have a valid address for this school district." Arthur looked confused and, after glancing at Lance, turned back to his father. He continued, "Since he does not technically live here, he can't go to school here and therefore can not play for the team."

Arthur gaped and replied, "But he has to! We can't beat the Griffins without him. You know they're undefeated. Lance is our secret weapon!" Uther waved at him to stop talking and replied, "I know. You've said all this before. So, I've pulled some strings with the school board. Lancelot will be allowed to play in the game, but as soon as it ends, he is no longer a part of Avalon High."

Lance looked down disappointed. He finally felt like he belonged somewhere. He had friends, he liked his classes, and he got to play football. Everything was perfect – well, almost. There was still the small matter of Gwen and Arthur that he was upset about but he couldn't do anything about that. Looking up he said, "I understand. It was bound to happen eventually. I want you to know that I'm sorry about lying. I just wanted a chance…"

Uther nodded and replied, "Be that as it may, the rules won't allow it. After this game, you will have to leave." With that he turned and left. After he left, the team was rather subdued. Arthur's patented pep talk didn't even have it's usual effect, but he managed to get the team to focus on the game rather than Lancelot's impending departure.

Gwen and Merlin cheered with the rest of the crowd when the team came out, but when halftime came around it was apparent that something was wrong. The opposing team seemed indestructible. When they were tackled, they got up within seconds and somehow the knights always ended up worse for wear. It was like they were wearing body armor or something. "Stay here," Merlin said, "I'm going to see if I can figure out what's going on." Gwen nodded reluctantly but stayed where she was. About five minutes after he left, one of the players on the Griffins team had knocked Arthur down and was about to go after Lancelot. He had the ball at the time. By now, Merlin was sure that something weird was going on with the team. He whispered a spell that would make it so that the body armor would have no effect and one that would make Lancelot slightly faster. He made it to the touchdown area just before the other player managed to tackle him. Merlin returned to his seat and when Gwen asked him what happened he just shrugged, "Lancelot's fast. I didn't have to do anything." The rest of the game continued as it normally would although the other team looked slightly put out. They knew something weird was going on, but the only way to prove that would be to admit that they were cheating. The Knights won 10 to 6 and everyone rushed onto the field.

Merlin sat down on the lowest row of the bleachers after everyone was done celebrating. He thought about Lancelot and how unfair it was that he had to leave. Arthur came and sat next to him sighing. "Where's Lancelot?" Merlin asked. Arthur nodded his head to the opposite side of the field where Lancelot was talking to Gwen. "Saying goodbye apparently." Merlin nodded and said, "So Gwen mentioned something yesterday…" Arthur simply nodded for him to continue and he said, "She said you've been really distracted and distant. Anything I should know?" Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment before he replied, "I'm backing off. It's obvious Lance likes her and, yeah he's leaving, but she can do better than me."

Merlin looked shocked, "So, what? You're breaking up with her?"

Arthur looked down and mumbled, "We were never really together…"

Merlin shook his head, "Not the point, man. She likes you, you like her… Why the bloody hell would you end it?"

Arthur looked at him with a strange look and asked, "Did you just turn British?"

Merlin replied quickly, "Long story. And don't change the subject."

Arthur sighed, "She deserves someone better than me…someone who's a genuinely good guy."

Merlin scoffed and said, "I'll deny it if anyone asks, but you're not terrible. In fact, you actually are a pretty good guy sometimes. Personally, I think Gwen makes you better. And besides, you're forgetting the most important thing."

Arthur asked, "Which is?" He was watching Gwen as she laughed at something Lance said before giving him a hug before he started walking away.

Merlin stood and said quietly, "She chose you too."

**Hope you liked it! Please leave a review with any comments or questions you may have!**


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